Dual direction coupler



Dec. 30, 1952 a. STAHMER 2,623,401

DUAL DIRECTION COUPLER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Match 18, 194? JigJ.

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1 1 k L s5 7 b2- 36 IO 78 T4 80 20 I I i I 54 gvwm Mm Patented Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUAL DIRECTION COUPLER Bernhardt Stahmer, Omaha, Nebr.

Application March 18, 1947, Serial No. 735,495

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to power driven machinery and more particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a dual direction coupler for mounting a motor on the housing of a wormgear speed reduction mechanism or the like.

Worm gear speed reduction mechanisms and motors for use therewith are frequently marketed together in an assembly, the motors being of specific sizes complemental to the gear ratio of the speed reduction mechanisms. In such assemblies, the motors are either mounted above or to the side of the speed reduction mechanisms. In order for a manufacturer of such assemblies to sell a standardized product both to customers desiring the motor mounted above the worm gear mechanism and tocustomers desiring the motor at one side of the mechanism, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly of this type in which the user may, at his option, change the position of the motor to suit his specific needs. Also, it frequently happens that in using such assemblies for different uses, the position of the motor can be changed to advantage by a single owner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a paratively small amount of adjusting movement is required for causing a relatively large spacing movement for spacing apart or drawing together the pulleys or sprocket wheels at the opposite ends of a belt or chain.

Other and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a worm-gear speed reduction mechanism and motor assembly in a horizontal position, shown with the coupler and belt tension regulating mechanism of the invention attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the mechanisms f Figure l;

Figure 3 is a detailed view in section taken along the line 33 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a detailed top plan view of the belt or sprocket chain tension regulating mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a worm-gear speed reduction mechanism and motor assembly, the motor assembly being in a vertical position, in combination with the dual direction coupler and belt tension regulator of this invention, a portion of the driving belt being broken away; and

Figure 6 is a right hand elevation of the mechanisms shown in Figure 5, a section of the motor, motor pulley, the belt, the driven pulley of the speed reduction mechanism, and a section of the worm-gear housing being broken away.

The dual direction coupler and belt or sprocket chain tension regulating mechanisms of this invention are for use in coupling a motor generally indicated at H] to any desired driven mechanism. The latter can be a worm-gear speed reducing mechanism as shown at 12.

The motor it! includes a housing 14, bearing plates 16 and I8 at opposite ends of the housing It, a driving shaft 20 longitudinally disposed in the housing l4, driving pulleys 22 and 24 secured to opposite ends of the driving shaft 20 by set screws 26 and 28, respectively, a mounting flange 30 secured to thebottom of the motor Ill, and a mounting platform 32 disposed in a plane in parallelism with the shaft 20.

The worm-gear speed reducing mechanisms such as the one shown at 12 normally include a housing 34 secured by means of a mounting platform 35 and bolts 36 to a Work table or the like 3?; bearing plates 38, at opposite sides of the housing 34 and secured thereto by suitable bolts 40; a driven shaft 42 disposed through the side of the housing 34 in parallelism with the driving shaft20; a driven shaft 44 disposed through the housing 34 at a rightangle to and below the driven shaft 42, the driving shaft 44 being provided with a key slot 46 for facilitating its attachment to other mechanisms, not shown, which it may be desired to drive at a reduced speed with respect to the speed of the motor driving shaft 20.

The driven shaft 42 is in a suitable bearing member and worm-gear housing 50 and a driven pulley 52 is normally attached to the end of the shaft 42 by means of a suitable set screw 54. The driving pulley 22 and the driven pulley 52 are normally interconnected by a suitable driving beltEB. If desired, sprocket wheels may be sub- 3 stituted for the pulleys 22 and 52 and a sprocket chain may be used in place of the belt 56.

In accordance with the present invention, a platform 60 is provided extending in a horizontal plane and attached to the top of the worm-gear mechanism housing 34. If desired, the platform 60 may be cast integrally with the housing 34. A pair of spaced apart ears or lugs 62 and 64 are secured to the top of the platform 60. The ears 62 are preferably disposed in parallelism and extend outwardly to one side of the housing 34, as shown in Figure 5. The ears 62 and 64 are preferably each secured to a mounting or base plate 66in a manner whereby the plate 66 is disposed in parallelism with the platform 60 and disposed directly there above. used to secure the plate 66 to the platform 60. The ends of the ears 52 and M preferably terminate in rounded portions 10, the latter each having an aperture disposed there'through, the apertures in the ears 62 .andfid being in axial alignment with one another.

A pair of spaced apart tabs or lugs'12 and M somewhat similar'in construction to the ears62 and 64 are secured to a motormounting plate It, thelatter being disposed in parallelism with and abutting themountingplatform 32 f the motor ID, the mounting platform 32 and the'mounting platelt being secured together by suitable bolts 18. Each of the tabs'lZ and 14 are provided with rounded ends 80.

The rounded ends 80 of the tabs 72 and N are each; providedwithuan aperture, the apertures being in axial alignment.witheach'other. An elongatedibolt 82 is disposed through the aligned aperturesinzthetabs 12...and.1'!4 and the ears '62 and 64, theibolt82 having a: head .at one end thereof; the' other end :of the bolt82'being threaded and provided with a nutBfi. The tabs 12 and T4 .ancltheears 62 and fi ixare so spaced and positioned with respect to the motor housing I land the speed reduction mechanism housing 34 that the axis of the bolt 84 .is at all times disposed to one. side of a line between the driving shaft andithe driven sh'aft42, whether the'm-ot'or and the speed reduction mechanism are in horizontal or verticalialignment.

As thusidescribed, the earsfizand 64,. tabs 12 and M and the bolt 84 form a hinge meansxwith portions 12 and M, stationary with respect .to' the motor and other portions 62 and. M stationary with respect to the mechanism housing.

Such .hinge means: is so. constructed andidis- =posed;that at times when. that hinge portion which is stationary with respect to the motor extends along the pivot pin St in one direction, the motor [0 will be disposed to the sideofthemechanism I2 and on the other side of said hinge portionirom said mechanism.

Also, the construction issuch that when those hinge portions comprising thel'tabs 12 and 74, which are stationary with respect to th motor, extend along the pin 84 in a reverse direction, the motorwill be disposed above said mechanism and on'th'e other side of said hinge portion from said mechanism.

A belt stretching mechanism, generally indicated at $9, is disposed 'betweenthe platforms Gil and 76 at times when the'assembly is in the vertical position, as shown in Figure 5. The spacing mechanism 99 includes four arms or levers 92 arranged in a diamond-shaped configuration. Each of the ends of each of the arms 92 are in an overlapped position with respect to 'the'adjacent end of another one of said arms,

Any suitable bolts 68 may be oppositely disposed ones of said arms in the diamond-shaped configuration are positioned to one side of the other two oppositely disposed ones of said arms. Each of the arms 92 is "provided with aperture in each of its overlapping ends, the apertures in any two overlapping ones of said ends'being in axial alignment.

Four pivot pins 94 are disposed through the aligned apertures. Those two oppositely disposed ones or" the pivot pinsfl l are secured respectively by means of a pair of "lugs 96 to the mounting plate it, attached to the motor 10 and to the mounting plate 56 attached to the speed reduction mechanisin'housing 34 at times when the device is used in the vertical position, as shown in Figure 5'.

The lugs are preferably of square shape in cross section, each lug 96 having one end mounted upon the respective plates and I6 and the other end of each lug is preferably rounded-fora purposelater described and provided'with anfaperture therein for the-receipt-of one of the pins 96. Those pins 9 5- which ware-disposed through the lugs 9-55 are. preferably; bolts having heads 93*a-nd nuts At times whcnwthe'assembly is :in the horizontal position shown in Figure 1, that! lug Edwhichis' attached to thepla-tfiorm Wis-similarly used as at times when the assembly is=in the verticalposition shown i-rrFigur-e:- 5; However, when the assembly is used; as shown in Figurel, that lug d8 which'issecu-red to the plat- .form 66 *is-not used and instead 'a-similarlug; HM is employed, the lug Hid being attached .tow'the side of the speed reduction mechanism i2 andto that of the bearing platestr whichlis positioned onthe motor sideof thespeed reduction mechanism 52 at timeswhen the 'assemblyisin the horizontal position shown in Figure 1: The lug we is similar to th-e-lugt'd except thatlth'e lug N34- is preferably providedwith an outwardly extending flange 168-, the-flange m8 being-secured to a bearing plate BB-of the speed reduction mechanism l2.

A pair of nuts HG are each secured to one of those two oppositely disposedones of said pivot pins 5 which are not connected to the lugs '96. The nuts Ht are. each providedwith" apairof notches H2 in opposite sides thereof and-those pivot pins 94 which arenot attached to the lugs ea extend inwardly through the apertures in the ends. of two of the arms 92 and are snugly received-in two of thenotches H2. Preferably, a second seto-f four armslM; also arranged-in a diamond-shaped configuration, are disposed upon the other side of the nuts H9 fromthe arms 92, the arms lMbeing similar inlevery respect to the armsSZ. The arms IMareWprovided' with similar pivot pins H5 extending through their overlappedends and. received'in those notches H2 which" are on the opposite sides of the nuts Hlllfrom the arms 92. One of the nuts '32 is provided'with anope'ning I20 therethrough extending in a direction parallel to line drawn between those. pivot pins 94 which are not attached to the lugs 951 The opening lZQ is for the purpose of receiving the non-threaded end of a bolt 22, the nonthreaded end of the bolt.!22 being provided with a head tilt atits end, and the latter is disposed on theouter side'oi 'that'bolt H8 which is provided with a non-threaded opening 129; The other nut i0 is provided with a threaded opening l26 extending therethrough in axial alignment with the non-threaded opening I29" and the bolt I22 extends from the head lzd'entirely' through the opening I26. The bolt I22 is threaded from that end of the bolt I22 which is disposed in the threaded opening I26 all the way up the shank of the bolt I22 to the opening I20. The bolt I22 is provided with a stationary washer or bearing I28 at the end of its threaded portion for engagement with that nut H0 in which the non-threaded opening I20 is disposed. The washer I28 is preferably firmly secured to the shank of the bolt I22.

In operation, it will be seen that at times when the motor I0 and the speed reducing mechanism I2 are in the horizontal position shown in Figure 1, that the spacing mechanism 90 will be secured to the lugs 96 and I04 and that the tension of the belt 56 may be regulated by means of applying a wrench to the head I24 and turning the bolt I22. By turning the bolt I22 in one direction, the nuts IIO will be drawn together, thus causing those pivot pins 94 which are attached to the lugs 96 and I04 to become further spaced apart. This, in turn, will then space the lugs 96 and I04 further apart and increase the tension upon the belt 56. By similarly turning thebolt I22 in the opposite direction, the nuts IIO will be drawn apart, thus causing the lugs 96 and I04 to be drawn together and the tension of the belt 56 to decrease.

In order to switch the motor I0 from its position at the side of the speed reduction mechanism I2, it is necessary to first release the tension upon the belt 56, remove the belt 56 and then remove that pivot pin 94 which is secured to the lug I04. The bolt 64 is then removed from its position in the apertured ears 62 and 64 and the spaced apart apertured tabs I2 and 14. The motor is then turned end for end and the bolt 84 again put in position extending through the ears 62 and 64 and the tabs I2 and I4. That bolt 94 which had been attached to the lug I04 is then inserted through the lug 96. The belt 56 is again replaced upon the driven pulley wheel 52 and is now placed upon the other driving pulley wheel 22. The tension of the belt 56 is then selectively regulated by turning the bolt I22. As thus described, the assembly including the motor and the speed reduction mechanism I2 will then be ready for operation in the vertical position shown in Figure 5.

As thus described, it will be seen that the belt or sprocket chain tension regulator 90 will maintain the tension of the belt 56 above any selected minimum tension requirement and will also maintain the tension of the belt 56 below any selected maximum requirement since the lugs 96 and I04 are directly connected to the tension regulator 90. It will also be seen that in the use of the tension regulator 90, a comparatively small amount of adjusting movement applied by the bolt I22 against the pins 94 will cause a much larger spacing movement applied against the bolts 94 which are attached to the lugs 96.

It will be seen that the hinged motor mounting, the belt stretching device, and lugs 96 and I04 are usable with mechanisms for other purposes than the reducing of speed. In this broad sense, the speed reducing mechanism housing can be considered a support upon which the lugs 96 and I04 of the hinge members 62 and 64 are mounted.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a dual direction coupler constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

I claim:

In a motor driven speed reduction unit, the combination which comprises a gear housing having a mounting platform on the bottom thereof, spaced ears extended laterally from the top of the gear housing to one side thereof, a shaft having a pulley thereon extended from one end of said gear housing, a motor mounting plate having spaced lugs extended from one face thereof, a motor having a shaft with a pulley thereon extended from one end, said motor mounting plate having means bolting said motor to the face thereof opposite to the face from which the lugs extend, a belt trained over the pulleys of the gear housing and motor shafts, a bolt extended through the ears of the gear housing and lugs of the motor mounting plate hinging the motor mounting plate to the gear housing whereby the motor mounting plate is adapted to be positioned, selectively, in a plane parallel to said mounting platform in one position and in a plane perpendicular to said mounting platform in another position, a plurality of pivotally connected levers, selectively, connecting the motor mounting plate to said side of the gear housing or to the top thereof, and means actuating the said levers for adjusting the position of the motor mounting plate in relation to the gear housing.

BERN HARDT STAHMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,249,308 Borger et al Dec. 11, 1917 1,433,016 Larsh Oct. 24, 1922 1,456,739 Lehman May 29, 1923 1,911,666 Beitz May 310, 1933 2,043,967 Blanchard June 9, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 673,897 France Jan. 21, 1930 

